Prospective longitudinal study investigating predictors of childhood injuries from Growing Up in New Zealand cohort: study protocol

Abstract

BackgroundInjury is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide and yet preventable and predictable. In New Zealand (NZ), unintentional injury is the leading cause of emergency department visits, hospitalisations and death among children, making it a significant public health concern.ObjectiveTo identify the factors that place young children in NZ at an increased risk of unintentional injury.MethodsThis study will investigate injuries among children from the prospective Growing Up in NZ birth cohort of 6853 children and their families. The primary outcome of interest is injury events where medical treatment was sought. The data sources include parental reports of child injury and Accident Compensation Corporation—NZ’s no-fault injury compensation system—injury claims. The linked datasets will be utilised to examine the distribution of life course exposures and outcome data using descriptive statistics. A temporal multilevel model will then be developed to examine relationships between neighbourhood, child and family characteristics and injury from birth to 5 years of age for all children for whom parental consent to link data were obtained.DiscussionThe findings of this research will help to identify how the multiplicity of influences between children, family and their broader societal context acting across time affect their risk of experiencing a preschool injury. This information will provide an evidence base to inform context-relevant strategies to reduce and prevent childhood injuries.